A region ripe for revival
The year was 2018, my wife and I were moving back to my home state of Georgia from her native of state of Wisconsin.
After a very extended exasperated commute, my eyes were bestirred to ogle upon the green exit signs peering over Interstate 75. The Holy Spirit whispered, “See that town Calhoun?” ... “Yes sir,” I mumbled under my breath. “I am about to move in a mighty revival there,” the Holy Spirit said.
About a year and a half later, I started seeing visions of our family moving to North Georgia, what part of North Georgia, I didn’t know.
I only know it was the mountain region of North Georgia.
It wasn’t long before my wife I were elected to a local assembly in this region as Senior Pastors.
We came here remembering what the Lord had spoken in the years prior about our new region and a move of God coming to Calhoun became our priority.
Unfortunately, just the Apostle Paul lighting a fire on the Island of Malta, snakes jump out of the fire anytime a fire of God is lit, and just as unfortunate, just like the Bible tells us that the Maltese viper was very poisonous, so also there are many poisonous church folks around.
Basically we got bit by a religious spirit for wanting revival and it did what all religious spirits do — it waited for us to die.
Like the Apostle Paul … we didn’t die, we kept on moving and God birthed a new work in our lives — Encounter Church Calhoun.
I was told my by my General Overseer Dr. Rod Parsley, that it takes approximately one year and a half and one hundred million dollars to win one convert to Christ in these dark days. Yet Encounter has seen six converts come to Jesus in less than a year. One of those converts is my six year old daughter Kiara.
We have seen countless slain under the power of the Holy Spirit, two demons cast out of people thus far and felt glory I haven’t felt in eighteen years of ministry.
I have had the privilege of having a blended service with Pastor Derrick Ingle of Higher Praise Church of God, in Chatsworth Pastor Rusty Haradan of World Harvest Church in Calhoun, Cup Of Life Worship Center in Calhoun, with Pastor Preston Aker, and I have hosted Higher Praise Church Of God at my own Church as well .
Also our building host ministry “The
Basement” and Encounter Church work together often to help the community together.
My point is not only did I see a full recovery of my own ministry from those who don’t want Calhoun in a perpetual state of revival, I have also seen many different ministries come together in unity.
Restoration and unity are vitally important to what I’m conveying to you, because both are ingredients to the revival I felt coming years ago when my eyes first saw the Calhoun sign and God spoke to me.
My dear Friend, Tom Scarrella from Minnesota informed me a little over a year ago about the revival that transpired East Calhoun Church of God many years ago.
It is my prayer that this wave of restoration and unity that I feel and participate in on a regular basis will help both uncap dries wells like that one and birth new ones like our Church Encounter.
When I say revival, I am sure you yawn and think of a tired old preacher running revival meetings. This is not what I am talking about at all. Revival to me is when we no longer are in a rush to dash out of church on a Sunday morning any longer, but rather we look heavenward and become desperate for our Heavenly Father to hold us and feel His presence.
Revival is when Christians began to come to prayer again.
The late great Leonard Ravenhill said “If you want to see how popular your church is, check your Sunday morning attendance. If you want to see how popular your pastor is, check your Sunday night attendance. If you want to see how popular God is, see how many come to prayer.”
The bottom line is that in our current state, God isn’t more important than our ball games and vacations… but he can be again, when we get hungry enough for him.
I am praying that this week’s reflection is successful is driving everyone who reads this that God wants to move in Calhoun again through conversions, unity, prayer, miracles, signs and wonders.
Calhoun is a beautiful place to live that is full of some of the most beautiful people that I have ever seen, our future is bright, we are ripe for revival and God is on our side and on the move!
If you don’t have a home church, come check our church family out.